Sunday Sweets: Beachy Keen
June 2, 2013 Slather on your SPF, cake lovers, 'cuz today we're hitting the beach!
;)
By Gateaux
So snap open your lawn chairs, shimmy into your swimsuit, and get ready for a day of sand, sun, and surf.
Speaking of which, let's hit the waves, dudes!
;)
I don't know if that one cookie is supposed to be a wave or a shark fin, but either way, YES.
Of course, if you'd rather not surf, we can just stick to the shore and collect shells:
;)
Baker unknown, Photo by Damon Tucci Photography
I love the texture on this cake, it's like cracked glass.
Sad fact alert: I once thought I found a cool piece of orange sea glass at the beach, but it turned out it to be a Dorito.
That was a disappointment, sure, but these beach-tacular cookie creations are anything but:
;)
So lovely! I want to poke a hole in that starfish and wear it on a chain around my neck.
But if you prefer your starfish a little more formal, (not that I was aware that was even an option) ...
;)
... then you're sure to love these elegantly dressed starfish winding their way around this cake.
Sad fact alert: a group of starfish is called ... get ready for this ... a tird. Seriously. TIRD? Can't we do any better than that?
Which reminds me: remember how people used to call flip-flops thongs?
Can you imagine the horrors that could have created with this cake?
By K Noelle Cakes
"Hi, I'd like to order a cake for my 2-year-old daughter's birthday, and can you please cover it with thongs? Yes, lots of colorful thongs. Oh, and a great big pair of flowered thongs on top. Perfect."
But anyway, before I get too crabby ...
;)
Photo by Frenzel Photographers, cake by It's All About The Cake
... let's dig our toes into the sand (or the brown sugar) and check out some of the many living creatures here at the beach.
Like jellyfish!
;)
Just fabulous. I'm such a sucker for light up cakes. And how very perfect are those jellyfish? Not quite as perfect as the existence of a peanutbutterandjellyfish (why not, SCIENCE?) but close.
And coral! Is it a plant? Is it an animal?
;)
By Fab Cakes
It is wrong to illegally harvest and use it as home decor all over my house? Probably yes. So I'll just enjoy this vibrant frosting version instead. And those shells have to be the most freakishly realistic shells I've seen in the history of Sunday Sweets. Unless they are really real, in which case, I knew that.
[Note from Jen: Yes, they're real. But you knew that.]
Nothing freaky about this Tiki, though; he's adorable!
;)
By Cut The Cake
Don't the Pirouette cookies make for the perfect reed-fence? Now I need an excuse to make an edible reed fence on something. Like maybe the coffee table.
Now this sandy Sweet was obviously made by professionals ...
;)
... specifically the pastry chefs at Walt Disney World for a wedding reception held in Epcot's Living Seas! (I didn't know you could even DO that! - Jen) (Me neither! - Lindsey)
A stroll down the boardwalk is always great for hours of fun...
;)
... and I could literally spend hours looking at this cake, the level of detail is so mind-boggling! Look at the tiny posters! And the stitching on the bunting! And the even tinier ice-cream-stand bunting!
;)
What a fantastic way to end the perfect beach day.
Anyway, just remember to stay safe out there, folks.
Drink plenty of water, wear your sunscreen, don't go swimming alone, and most importantly ...
;)
By Cake Central member Lori123456
... have a beachin' summer!
Have a Sweet to nominate? Then send it to Sunday Sweets [at] Cake Wrecks [dot] com!
Reader Comments (46)
OMG I'm loving a aquatic photobomb in the jellyfish pic.
HELLO! I see you!
The 2nd cake's cookie looks more like very soft surf or wave cresting on the beach. Definitely not a shark's fin.
Want. Them. All. Preferably on the beach.
True story: my aunt was walking with a friend, who was extolling the virtues of wearing thongs -- they are so comfortable! You should wear them! My aunt: I don't like things between my toes. Friend:.... You're wearing them wrong.
I was going to say I miss Epcot. And that was before I saw the castle cake.
Those are actually Pirouline cookies, not Pirouette ones. The stripes are different.
I'm gonna go curl up in a fetal position now since I'm sure not even the makers of the cookies would be able to spot the difference.
Those cakes almost want me to risk more skin cancer by going to a beach. If we had a beach near us, of course.
Beautiful cakes, thanks, Jen.
Wow!! These are incredible! Brought back memories of times spent at the Jersey shore. (And thongs...lol... footwear for me, too.)
Wonderful post as always! You are such a fun addition to every day. *hugs*
P.S. You must know, my darling, about James Lipton's re-issue of the book An Exaltation of Larks, which is a comookpendium of terms of venery. It includes a game section at the back where guests at the world's dorkiest party can MAKE UP THEIR OWN. It is SUCH a hoot. And why not? Language evolves!
I found a few alternatives for a group of starfish that you might enjoy.
A sparkle of starfish.
A cling of starfish.
A crown of starfish.
A poke of starfish.
Be aware that 'a bra of starfish' refers only to a pair, not a group.
I think any of those is better than a 'tird'. For heaven's sake!
The gateux cake was AMAZING-how do they make cake look like wood? The beach pail cake with the cute crabs made me smile :D
The mind boggles as to what you WOULD get, if you ordered a cake with THONGS from the typical Wreckerators who are usually featured on this blog!
Gads, I love Sunday Sweets! Gives me hope that there is still true beauty and artistry in this world.
((OH~the hu-Manatees!!!))
I LOVE the sand castle one (I can almost feel the grit in my teeth), and the lit-up-from-inside one with the jellyfish, etc.! Magical!! GORGEOUS! I'm wondering if anyone else remember when thongs and/or flip flops were called "zories."? We used to get them at "Dime Stores." Zories're still out there,Capitalized, and a way-more-expensive "horse-of-a-different-color." Summer where I live drags on for an interminable two whole weeks,so I just wear the dollar-store ones. =^~.~^=
I've probably told this story here before. But I'm getting older, and that gives me leeway to repeat it as many times as I wish. Years ago, my then-boyfriend and I were standing at the end of a pier, watching the reflections of the moon on the water. Holding hands, leaning into each other, so romantic. We saw some jellyfish float by and he said, "Do you know what a group of jellyfish is called?" I was thinking, I thought it was "school", but since he was asking, I guessed it wasn't that, so I just shook my head no, and he said, "A smucker."
I thought I was gonna fall off the pier, I was laughing so hard.
I want to be a guest at the world's dorkiest party because I just made up one that I think fits best --
a galaxy of starfish.
And, while I'm not a beach person (a ten minute walk on a sunny say makes my arms itch), I'd go if that starfish cake were waiting there for me.
Oh! I was just at the beach yesterday! Sadly, I didn't get to have any cake. But this happened - we were in the car, driving down to my aunt's beach house, and my mom is playing with her iphone, trying to figure out how to get Siri, or whoever she is, to talk to her/accept voice commands ... a few minutes later my mom says, quite loudly and clearly, "Play Music". Of course, my son and I knew she was talking to her phone, but my dad, bless him, immediately reached over and turned on the radio. We then spent the rest of the trip teasing him about being very well trained.
We always called those shoes 'thongs' when I was little. Imagine my confusion when I heard on the news that they'd outlawed thongs on South Beach. What would those poor beach goers wear? Huaraches? Sneakers?
It's called a tird because it's not really a group until you add the t'ird one...
These are truly the most spectacular beach theme cakes I have ever seen.
Your hypothetical about ordering a thong cake is a reality here in Australia! We use "thong" to refer to the footwear, and "G-string" to refer to the underwear.
"I love the texture on this cake, it's like cracked glass." Yes, it is! It also looks (to me) like the fizzly, effervescent foamy stuff that happens right at the instant that a wave is receding away from you, when you're right at the edge of the shore. Ahhh...I can even hear it...! =^-.-^=
A Blaze....a Blaze of Starfish.
Since summer seems to be somewhat elusive this year, and I haven't been able to take vacation yet this year, this was like taking a mini-vacation for free. Wow, every one of these cakes were exceptional! and like Cathy said - I'll take 'em all, too!
AAAWWWW!!! LOOK at the little Mickey head "icon" in the window of the Disney castle!! How SWEET is THAT?!
=^~.~,^=
a group of starfish is called ... get ready for this ... a tird.
that too close to t#rd for my liking.
I think it's worth mentioning that the first cake, is actually ALL cake...it's not sitting on a cool wooden box.
You can see it being made on an old episode of "Amazing Wedding Cakes" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyT0yIaa9pY
Pretty incredible.
I still call flip flops thongs......I wouldn't have it any other way
My wife & I were married in the Canada Pavillion at Epcot in WDW on 2/4/12. It was a fantastic experience from start to finish and we've been talking up Disney Weddings to anyone willing to listen, and even those unwilling if we can corner them. ;-)
They can do just about anything you want. And with their massive staff of chefs, florists, planners, etc. the options are endless. Our cake was fairly simple, but it was just the kind of thing we wanted for our informal reception. Each layer was a different combination of cake flavor and filling. A little something for everyone.
They do weddings in all kinds of places - they have a dedicated wedding chapel (next to the planning offices) with a window that looks across the Seven Seas Lagoon and frames the castle. They do them at the resorts - so you can have a beach wedding at the Yacht & Beach Club Resort, for example. And they do weddings and receptions in many different areas in the park. Our ceremony was in Canada and our reception was on the Eau de France - the 'island' between the UK & France in Epcot.
We've both said we'd get married again just to relive the experience. :-)
maybe it's b/c i'm in a mind for a lovely summer celebration, maybe it's b/c i'm a sucker for seaside (or oceanside) scenes, or maybe it's b/c these cakes are JUST THAT AWESOME... but i am absolutely LOVING today's post. many thanks, as always, for the wonderful and inspiring pics! (and congrats to all those fab bakers and decorators out there!)
Whoever coined a group of starfish as a "tird" is a real tur......key. :-D
All these cakes are stunning and make me pine to dig my toes in the sugar-white sands of Sanibel Island again. *sigh* It's been more than 20 years since I did that. But these cakes are like a mental vacation!
And that jellyfish cake (and the thoroughly photogenic fellow behind it...)...? WOWZAS!! Y'all oughta mosey over to their site and drool over their other fabulous cakes. Just the site alone is like a week's worth of Sunda Sweets! :-D
You are almost certainly going to end up with a wreck if you order a cake with Flip Flops on it in Australia. No double meaning down here, just colourful footwear all the way.
The cakes are so much better than the actual beach. lol. Glad that it's now Winter here in the Southern Hemisphere, even if it's not really that cold... Haha. Anyway, they're thongs in Australia. It only really causes confusion if you're speaking to Americans. The underwear is a g-string.
The first cake is absolute perfection! I can smell the Coppertone from here!
2 things....
1. Loving the dolphin photobombing the jellyfish cake. Which is beautiful!
2. Am I the only one that thinks with the starfish cake (cake #3, pic #4) the starfish look like they're wearing bikinis? Just me? Okay, I'll be over here if you need me.
Thanks for the beachy dreams!!
And (what is) most important....
(BTW, that Disney cake - while gorgeous - leans in two directions!)
Dibs on the first cake. MINE! *breaks out nunchuks*
Oh, and the photo bombing marine mammal is a beluga whale, not a dolphin. It's white and its snout/nose is short & stubby...I would have loved to have my reception in a place like that, but we were young and sensible so we did the practical, budget-saving kind of things like having his family decorate the pews and make the wedding cake while my family...failed to show up until the rehearsal, so his family had to decorate the reception area at the local hotel by themselves. Luckily, my in-laws did not hold it against me! :-) Whole thing in 1992 cost $3k, paid for mostly by my new husband & whatever I had left of my paycheck after loan payments. :-)
I love beluga whale photo-bomb! I REALLY love that it's from the Georgia Aquarium!
@KarateLady - You aren't going to believe this; I was married in '92 too. We really do have a lot in common!
I was paying more attention to the squeedorable beluga in that one picture!
Oh, and coral is indeed not a plant. It's a colony of tiny animals (polyps) living on a hard "skeleton." There are some types of algae that look like coral, and they aren't a plant or an animal!
Oh my, I just LOVE the cake from Gateaux! Plus...they're in the Twin Cities, which is where I live! Now if I only had a couple thousand dollars to spend on a cake...
These are beautiful. I love the colorful birthday cake but also the "glowing" under the sea one too!! ugh people are so bloody creative.
Love these cakes!
Coral is an animal :) It's an animal that makes a stone house to live in, and provides lodging for tiny plants in retun for food. So cool!
Love from your resident marine biologist :p
YOU were sad about the Dorito?
How do you think the one who dropped it felt!
In New Zealand we call the footwear jandals (Japanese sandles), and the underwear a g-string. That sand castle cake is amazing :)
these are beautiful - and you posted them for my birthday; how cool is that!
Every Sunday I find out I have a new bunch of fave cakes... if you can replicate that next Sunday (which just happens to be my actual birthday, in fact! ) I will be totally amazed! Although a cake that is a compilatio of ALL of todays's cakes might just do it... I'm just sayin'...